Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2 Verse 6

Shloka 2.6 explained

Introduction

Bhagavad Gita is a conversation between Krishna and Arjun. This dialogue begins just before the war of Mahabharata is about to begin. On seeing his family in opposition, Arjun is gripped with fear and confusion and wants to run away, but Krishna convinces him to fight and tells Arjun why he today raise his weapons to kill his brothers and relatives in this war.

Bhagavad Gits teaches us how to live life!

The core message of the Bhagavad Gita is considered very powerful for it can fundamentally transform the way you live your life. Bhagavad Gita is also called a summary of Vendantic Knowledge or simply ancient Knowledge.

Bhagavad Gita is crystallized form of the Hindu thought.

Bhagavad Gita is 700 verses long, spread across 18 chapters. Here we will understand Verse 6 of Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita.

Translation:

We don’t even know what is best for us — for us to win or for them to win over us. If we kill the sons of Dhritarashtra standing in front of us, I am sure that even we wouldn’t want to live after doing such a thing.

Commentary:

Arjun at this stage is completely confused. He is unable to figure out what is the right thing to do.

While he still bears animosity toward the Kauravas, he is overwhelmed with compassion, and thus considers the killing of his family wrong.

He fears that even after winning the war, the guilty of killing his own family will haunt him, and everyone else, and make life miserable for the guilt will linger. It will lead to a mental trauma which will steal all happiness from life and thus the desire to live.

He fears that people who are victorious today, in future will feel like committing suicide.

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